Date: 18.12.2017.

According to Statistics Estonia, 21.1% of the Estonian population, i.e. nearly 276,000 persons lived in relative poverty in 2016. The percentage of people living in relative poverty decreased 0.6 percentage points compared to the previous year.

Additional financing in the amount of EUR 113.4 million has been earmarked for further health care reforms in Latvia next year from the budget deficit increase approved by the European Commission, according to the Latvian Health Ministry report on the health care reforms planned in 2018, cites LETA.

AS Elme Messer Gaas, joint venture of Germany's Messer Group and BLRT Grupp of Estonia, opened a liquid gas filling station in Riga and the total volume of investments was 6 million euros, of which 1.3 million euros came from the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA), reports LETA.

The Russian food safety authority, Rosselkhoznadzor, has lifted the restrictions earlier imposed on imports of products by the Latvian fish cannery Karavela, Rosselkhoznadzor said in a statement published on December 18th, cites LETA.

The Latvian State Police is short of policemen, and the police precincts in Riga lack nearly one-fifth of employees, De Facto analytical news program of the public Latvian Television reported on Sunday evening, cites LETA.

EU economy’s future: slow but positive growthGrowth in all EU states will continue in 2019-20, though at a slower pace than before. The largest EU’s economies will grow at around 1,5-1,7%, mostly in Poland, Spain and Holland. The Baltic States’ growth will continue to be on the positive trend.